Tobacco spreader for cigarettemaking machines



April 11, 1939. P. J. HERRMANN TOBACCO SPREADER FOR CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 1, 1936 SSVENTO R PMLQOHAN N as. Heammfl April 11, 1939.,

P. J HERRMANN 2,153,982 TOBACCO SPREADER FOR CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINES Filed Aug. 1, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 bvwe N'ro k DMLQQHAN Neg HERRMRN N M EM.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 11, 1939 UNITED STATES r AT E TOBACCO SPREADER FOB CIGARETTE- MAKING MACHINES Application August 1, 1936, Serial No. 93,874 In Germany August 3, 1935 2 Claims.

This invention relates to tobacco Spreaders for cigarette-making machines, and has for its particular object to overcome or prevent the formation of balls or compact rolls in the bite of the rolls.

For this purpose the invention consists of means acting upon the tobacco while it is in the bite of the rolls, so as to prevent the formation of compact bodies of tobacco.

It is known that in tobacco spreaders of cigarette-making machinesin the bite between the toothed receiving and depositing rolls on the tobacco supply side, the tobacco is rotated and conglomerates into roll or ball formation instead of spreading.

Many attempts have been made to regulate this tobacco ball or roll accumulation relative to its thickness and range, or to completely elimihate the same. In the latter case, controlled crushers were used which, by their own weight, were pressed upon the tobacco in the bite, and these crushers together with equalizers made in the form of collectors, rakes, or the like were operated in such manner that the pins or teeth of the equalizers passed through the spaces between the crushers.

Another method was to so arrange the equaliZers to swing in suspended back-and-forth rakelike action, and the swinging equalizer working in conjunction with an equalizer operating in a circular or rotary manner cooperated so that the tobacco was pushed sidewise by the suspended rake, caught up by the teeth of the rotating equalizer and thrown back into the storage room of the spreader.

The apparatus according to my invention makes also use of crushers or pressure means, however, my invention consists therein that between the crushers, successively effective equalizers in the form of discs on a joint and continuously rotating roller, are provided, the circumference of said discs being covered only partly with radial or approximately radial protruding pins or shovel-like projections.

It has been proven that the working of the rake-like or similarly formed tobacco equalizers together with the controlled crushers, is difficult, inasmuch as the control of the crushers and the control of the rake-teeth or the like cannot be brought into harmony or maintained in harmony.

Contrary thereto, the equalizers in accordance with my invention consist of radial or approximately radial pins or shovels provided on the circumference of continuously rotating discs, the arrangement being such that only a part of the disc circumference is equipped with pins or shovels. By eliminating the use of any special controlling gear, the continuously rotating discs may be easily adjusted on their roller so that they,

with their pins or shovels, sink into the space of two adjoining crushers simultaneously with the lifting of the crushers. Such a number of pins or shovels may easily be provided, so that each equalizer remains in contact with the tobacco until the adjacent crushers sink again into the tobacco. Here, therefore, a gripping of the equalizer takes place without any special controlling gear, which gripping extends over a certain interval of time and it is just this interval which is important, namely, the interval in which the two adjoining crushers are lifted from the tobacco in the bite. The comparatively long period of gripping of the equalizer spikes produces, as has been proven, a complete smoothness of the tobacco in the bite, so that a formation of tobacco fleece, uniform as to volume and thickness, is obtained on the toothed receiving toothed roll of the spreader.

The invention will be further fully described and embodiments will be shown in the drawings, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates the new tobacco spreader in a vertical longitudinal section from the side;

Figure 2 is a similar illustration in which the co-working crushers and equalizers are shown in a different position than that shown in Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a front view of the toothed receiving roll with the crusher and equalizer apparatus arranged above it.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the storage room I of the tobacco spreader of a cigarette-making machine, tobacco designated by reference character T is illustrated as resting on the endless conveyor 2 and is carried by said conveyor belt in the direction of the arrow against the toothed receiving roll 3. The toothed receiving roll 3 works in cooperation with the common toothed depositing roll 4.

The tobacco in the bite between the rollers 3 and i on the supply side is crushed by means of the crushers 5. Each crusher 5 is supported at the end of a swinging lever 6 bent at an angle, said lever being rotatable around its axis 1 and provided with an extension 8. A roller 8a of said extension rests against a control cam 9 due to the weight of lever B. The lifting cam 9 runs in the direction of the arrow as shown, and so acts that the lever 6 swings at times into the position shown in Fig. 2, and therefore is lifted from the tobacco.

On a joint roller ID, a lifting cam 9 is provided for each crusher 5, these lifting cams being placed with respect to each other in such manner that the crushers 5, as may be seen from Fig. 3, individually or in groups become effective successively.

Above the bite between the rollers 3 and 4, on the tobacco supply side, and on a shaft ll, discs l2 are mounted, the circumference of each being partly equipped with approximately radially positioned pins or shovels or rakes l3. On the shaft H there are as many discs I 2 as there are spaces between the different crushers 5, and an additional disc beyond the crusher at each end, as may be seen in Fig. 3. The discs I2 are so arranged in respect to each other on shaft II, that their rakes [3 or the like, come in contact with the tobacco layer in the bite, into which the crushers 5 sink in proportion to the movement of the crusher 5 controlled by the lever 6 and cam 9.

If, for instance, the group of crushers 5, as shown in Fig. 3, on the left thereof, lifts itself from the tobacco in the bite between the rolls 3 and 4, the gripping of the rakes or the like i3 takes place upon the tobacco released from the crushers, until the crushers rest again on the tobacco.

It will be seen that the crushers and rakes alternate and act progressively across the machine. At no time are either all of the crushers or all of the rakes distant from the tobacco in the machine. There is an alternate stamping by the crushers and when the crushers are raised, the rakes or the like come into action; and vice versa; and when the rakes or the like, do their work, as shown in Fig. 2, the crushers are out of action. These crushers come down by their own weight and are lifted by the lifting cams. The roller I2 is connected by suitable transmission with the axes of the lifting cams which work in synchronism. It will be particularly noted that the roller i2 has such rakes or the like, only on that portion of its periphery which remains inoperative when the adjacent crushers 5 are in operative position.

The roller i2 is connected by suitable transmission with the axes of the lifting disc 9 so that they work for the purposes specified in synchronism.

The crushers come down by their own weight, and are lifted by the lifting discs.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such'changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a tobacco spreader for cigarette-making machines, having toothed receiving and depositing rollers, the combination of a crusher adapted to rest on the tobacco in the bite of said rollers to compress the tobacco, a disc adjacent said crusher and having equalizer rakes entering the bite of the rollers, arranged on only a half portion of the disc, means for rotating the disc for alternately engaging and disengaging the rakes with the tobacco in the bite, means for lifting the crusher away from the tobacco, and means for operatively interconnecting the disc rotating means and the crusher lifting means to cause the crusher to be lifted away from the tobacco when the rakes engage the tobacco, and to allow the crusher to descend upon the tobacco when the disc is rotated to present the rakeless portion thereof to the tobacco.

2. In a tobacco spreader for cigarette-making machines, having toothed receiving and depositing rollers, the combination of a shaft, crushers acting under their own weight to descend and rest on the tobacco in the bite of said rollers, means on said shaft for lifting the crushers, discs, each of which has a smooth portion and carries equalizer rakes on a portion thereof, said rakes being adapted to engage the tobacco entering the bite, said crusher-lifting means and discs being alternately spaced parallel with the axis of said rollers, a second shaft, means on said shaft for rotating the discs, and means for rotating said shaft with the first shaft, for lifting certain of the crushers when the adjacent rakes engage the tobacco and allowing said crushers to descend upon the tobacco in the bite of the rollers, when the smooth portions of said discs face the tobacco in the bite without engaging the same.

PAUL JOHANNES HERRMANN. 

